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Old 01-03-21, 11:57 AM   #218
Daox
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Quote:
Originally Posted by solarhotairpanels View Post
Best idea yet... for sure.
Been reading about your project all morning here 1/3/21

Great project and updates along the way.
Thanks. Its been a fun thing to tinker on over the years.

Quote:
I use 6 inch duct work booster fans and 6 inch insulated flexible duct hose on a couple of hot air collectors I have installed which work out fantastic.
That is a good setup if you have a closed loop system (like a solar hot air panel). If you need any pressure, a centrifugal fan will do a lot better at pushing air into the house.

Quote:
Couple of things..
You mentioned water inside the hose.. condensation
Would insulated ductwork similar to A/C ductwork eliminate the condensation rather then the hose you are currently using? Just a thought.
I'm sure it would help some, but not totally eliminate it. Warm air is still going to get inside the duct and the temperature swing of the attic is fairly large. A bit of insulation around the ducting will help reduce the temperature swing, but without any thermal mass it'll still vary in temperature quite a lot. If you are in a milder climate, this might help eliminate the problem completely though.


Quote:
Next, why not run the insulated hose all the way down the chimney to the kitchen?

Right now air is being pushed down the chimney and could be blowing past your kitchen opening bouncing around inside your chimney before finding it's way to your kitchen.
I'm fine with it warming up the chimney brick as that'll radiate into the house eventually. Running the hose down to the opening would be a pain in the butt for me as access is quite limited.


Quote:
Next, Backdraft dampers
I tried the dampers you purchased but found that too much cold air was getting by the litthe openings. I ended up building 2 of my own using collapsable cloth when fan off.

The cloth blocks the entire opening once the fan shuts off.
That's very cool. I'd love to see pictures of your setup.


Quote:
Next, can you fill me and others in?
How's your attic to kitchen forced hot air thermostatically controlled heating system doing?
Are you happy where you are with the system as of today?
Of course. The system is working great. I'm very happy with it. If I had to think of what I'd like to do next it would be add additional ducting and possibly get an even larger fan to scavenge even more heat.


Quote:
What about a cold air trap rather then relying on the dampers to totally stop cold air from dropping back down in to your kitchen?

Cold air trap meaning...
Could you arrange / refasten that hose in the attic so intake end remains where it is but then have the hose drop down from your attic ceiling about 4 ft. then turns and goes back up to the attic ceiling before continuing down your chimney to the kitchen outlet.

Hot air rises / cold air drops right? so if the cold air gets trapped in the hose because of the loop in the hose / when the fan is OFF / would it stop the cold air from dropping down into the kitchen?

If this hose was insulated from the intake end of the hose in the attic all the way down the chimney to kitchen outlet I think that might work pretty good to stop cold night time attic air from penetrating the hose.
I don't see any reason why that wouldn't work. You would probably want a way to drain it as I imagine condensation would be an issue in the trap though.
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